Demolitions persist in Jerusalem, targeting homes, businesses, and land.
Demolitions in Jerusalem have persisted recently, including forced self-demolitions by homeowners facing massive fines and direct demolitions executed by Israeli bulldozers.
The demolitions continued throughout the Eid al-Adha holiday and the days leading up to it. Instead of preparing for and celebrating the holiday, many families in Jerusalem were preoccupied with losing their homes or facing forced demolitions. While some celebrated Eid, others searched for shelter after their homes were demolished or if they were compelled to demolish them themselves due to fines and threats from the municipality.
In Beit Hanina, Nabil al-Ramouni had to demolish his house after receiving multiple orders and fines. His roughly 90-square-meter home, occupied by nine people, had been fined 35,000 shekels and stood for about 15 years.
In Qalandia, the Awadallah family was compelled to evacuate seven houses, sheltering around 50 individuals.
In Jerusalem's Al-Bustan neighborhood in Silwan, Mujahed Imad Badran was compelled to demolish his 75-square-meter home that sheltered five people. He stated that the house, built in 2019, had accrued fines and violations totaling about 75,000 shekels.
Municipality crews also destroyed a commercial building owned by the Al-Ayed family in Jerusalem's Musrara neighborhood. The site, functioning as a restaurant, was demolished under a policy aimed at Palestinian businesses in the city.
In Beit Safafa, the Alayan family was compelled to demolish an apartment belonging to the late Fouad Alayan after attempting for 20 years to secure a building permit and facing repeated delays with demolition orders. In Silwan, Israeli occupation forces recently demolished two apartments owned by Jerusalemite Fayez Awad. These apartments, covering about 180 square meters, housed a family of four, and the second was for his daughter, her husband, and their child. Less than two months earlier, the municipality had already demolished his son Maher Awwad's home.
In a related incident, Israeli forces and bulldozers entered the land of Muhammad Jom’a Qaraeen, a Jerusalemite, and carried out bulldozing, destroying the land, crops, and the surrounding wall.
Israeli bulldozers also targeted the land of Jerusalemite Mohammad Khalid Rweidi, demolishing two living rooms and the surrounding wall.
